so, even an extra has big shoes to fill. lindsay davis, abc news, new york. >> if i had only known. >> i was looking for you. coming up on "good morning america," a happy homecoming for two, american journalists, freed with the help of former president clinton. we're live in los angeles, as they touch down in amerin n it has been the worst time of our life. i'm looking forward to the best time of my life. >> after nearly five months in a north korean jail, two journalists will soon be home. >> shots ring out in a pittsburgh gym. >> we willell you how district's schools do that. captioned by the national captioning institute

--www.ncicap.org-- good morning, washington. i'm doug mcelway. >> and i'm alison starling. we are glad you're joining us on this wednesday morning. let's get started with your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. >> brian van de graaff is backed from his weekend jaunt. >> it was daddy day care for the last couple of days. it haseenot nhingotli keli vacation. n. bfu erth but then there is a warm up approaching. 71 this morning in arlington. 68 in upper marlboro. some limited sunshine. scattered sorms will develop late. temperatures will be knocked back below a bit.

we will check in with adam caskey in the storm chaser later. let's say good morning to lisa baden. >> thank you very much. go inside and get cool. we will hit the roads. things are heating up because of the volume of traffic. this is the wilson bridge. we are moving smoothly. a stop in springfield. 66 and 395 look good. a lot of headlights already. no problems on 270 and no problems in and out of baltimore. now to top stories. >> thank you. two american journalists held by north korea and then convicted and sentenced to hard labor are now on the rahal met this morning. >> laura ling and euna lee it should touchdown in a few hours. matt brock is live with more on

the story. good morning. >> you saw on the video that euna lee and laura ling were dressed in short sleeve shorts and jeans and appeared healthy when they shook hands with the former president. they will fly home to california and that is where they're relieved families are waiting. they spent five months in a north korean jail but have now been pardoned by kim jong il. >> it has been the worst time of my life and now i'm looking forward to the best time of my life. >> they are coming home. >> one of the few times that something positive has happened to me. >> this has been in the works for a few weeks. mr. clinton was assured before he got there that the women would be released. >> the president was requesting

until release of the journalists. >> they wanted an apology and they received a qualified one from hillary clinton weeks ago. the white house insists the visit was not official. >> it was a private mission. >> there's still some hope that the release could lead to dialogue between the countries and ease tensions that have grown quite frosty. matt brock, abc 7 news. >> thank you. four people are dead after a shooting rampage in suburban pittsburgh. a man strolled into the back of an exercise class at the l.a. fitness center in bridgeville last nht. he pulled out two guns and killed three women and himself.

at least nine other women were injured. a man is dead after he was hit on the bwi parkway. this was in lanham. the ban was attempting to cross the northbound lanes and he died on the scene. it is unclear why he was on the highway. >> he was trying to cross the parkway and he was struck by a vehicle. we're trying to find out what happened. >> the driver did stay on the scene to talk to police. the stretch was shut down but has now been given the all clear. a memorial service will be held for the four people killed in the helicopter crashed on i- 70. it will be held in frederick were three of the victims worked. investigators are still trying to find out what caused that

crash. numerous national night out events were held last night. police and residents got together and shared their concerns. they have been taking place across the nation since 1984. residents say this event helps make their neighborhoods safer. >> we are the eyes and ears of the community. the police need us and we need them. >> this shows the community they can interact with the police and each other. >> national night out coincided with an all hands on deck initiative in which all available officers are placed on the street. two women and a 17-year-old boy were shot last night in southeast. it happened around 10:30. police say there is no word on

any suspect or a motive. was a domestic dispute that turned deadly. samuel fortune has been charged with first-degree murder. police say he shot four people. marcus vines died. two women were shot but are expected to live. big improvements in the fight against hiv and aids. the city received and a or an a- in some marks. it received day c-plus in aids education. the rate is at 3%. an'o'd maeyllo' says the pure lineil beligh a t t il system. it will nru between bethesda and

new carrollton. plans were described yesterday. the cost of the project is estimated at nearly $2 billion. construction could begin in four years. it is now 5:07 on this wednesday morning. 73 degrees. >> metro officials plead for funding. how much is needed? >> 76 right now in old town. i am adam caskey. i will detail the forecast coming up. >> lisa baden will be back with another look at your morning commute. yo

welcome back. 5:11 is your time on this wednesday. your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. >> let's check in with adam caskey. he is live in alexander this morning. >> we're at founders park. such a great park. it is great in the time of day to be here. the potomac is behind us. you can see a little bit of haze already off in the distance. the humidity in the air.

ristctdistrict, 75. alexandria, 72. hagerstown, 71. here is the forecast for today. limited sunshine. you can see abundant cloud cover out there. it is not thick cloud cover. peaks of sunshine. high temperatures, mainly in the upper 80's later this afternoon. more on the extended forecast coming up. >> not much happening on the highway at all. .we're very smoot around the beltway. it looks good as far as interstate travel. we are smoothes around the beltway. nothing along suitland parkway. nothing on the 11th street bridge. we give you the all clear on

270. normal travel times along the dulles greenway, 66, and on 95 between richmond and baltimore, even though there are plenty of headlights out of dale city to get to the beltway. >> thank you. 5:12 on this was the morning, at 73 degrees in rosslyn. >> the start of school is around the corner. there are some new recommendations on how to fight the swine flu. >> we will check headlines around our region. region.

>> you are watching abc 7's "good morning washington," with doug mckelway, alison starling, meteorologist brian van de graaff, weather, and lisa baden, traffic. this is "good morning washington," on your side.

in our top stories, pa. police are trying to figure out what caused a man to walk into a health club and start shooting. the man went into the class at the l.a. fitness studios just outside of pittsburgh, turned out the lights, and started firing. he killed three people before turning the gun on himself. metro meet $7 billion over the next decade in order to offer safe and reliable so -- service. the house approved $150 million in federal aid to be matched. the senate is considering that measure. the u.s. is keeping an eye on some russian submarines just off the east coast of the united states. the military is not overly concerned about it.

defense officials say russia has a right to conduct those operations. students head back to school soon. teachers are on alert for any signs of the resurgence of the swine flu. they will release -- released new guidelines on how to deal with swine flu. schools are asked to remain open even if students contract the virus. >> it is not clear at the closing of this cooldown is helpful. it is not like the kids go home and stay home. they go to the mall or they go to each other's homes. >> they are hoping to avoid the chaos of last spring's school shutdowns. 5:17. your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. >> let's start with lisa baden.

it is a big day today. it is doug's birthday. >> all right. >> i am not celebrating. i get to the age where you start forgetting about it. >> there will be a big party. >> count me in. let them eat cake around the beltway. everything is sweet and sticky. 270 travel out of frederick, and looks like we're open at 109 to get to the beltway. the sticky part is in the weather center with brian van de graaff. >> i was hearing about some bears on a camping trip. 70 outside in oxon hill. 67 in bowie. 76 in nationals par is muggy out that -- is muggy

out there. all of the energy is sinking to the south. there is a cold front off to the west which is poised to make our way. there is a chance of a thunderstorm as the system swings on through. it will set the stage for a pretty good day on thursday and on friday. on saturday, models are hinting about a warm-up. same thing on sunday. today, partially -- partial sunshine. hot and humid with scattered hunderstorms possible. temperatures go from the upper 80 possible to below 70's. these guys should start to clear out somewhat. -- temperatures go from the upper mid 80's to below 70's. friday, mid to upper 80's with lots of sunshine. a chance of that straight storm.

some higher humidity. -- a chance of a stray storm. now back to thebirthday boy. >> 95 and a lot of humidity of the weekend. is proof that playing video games is a growi trend. the stories and more in tech news. >> a new push to eliminate digital distractions from drivers. ray lahood is hosting a summit next month to tackle the problems caused by cell phones in cars. he expects several recommendations to deal with texting and topping wall driving. texting behind the wheel increases the risk of collision 23 times. a driver is six times more likely to crash. sony is unfailing some new book

readers today. the reader is smaller and $100 cheaper than kendo. it holds 350 books and sells for $199. sony is also releasing a 21 to $99 touchscreen model. there is a new way to share your digital pictures. nikon has released a new coolpix camera with a built-in projector. it can project the image onto any wall. it has a face party autofocus. it will be available next month. a majority of americans now play video games. about 55% of people said they played some kind of game last year. that is nearly one and 70

million people, an increase of more than 4 million. the biggest group is classified as secondary. gamers, casual females who play less than four hours a week. for more information, log onto the tech page at abcnews.com. those are yr tech bytes. i am vinita nair. 5:21. it is hot and steamy already. >> after a long, cool summer, it looks like the washington nationals are finally getting hot. they caught fire very late last night. that is coming up on sports. >> later on "oprah," from high society to bouncing checks. that is at 4:00 right here on abc 7.

welcome back. 5:25. this is a live look at the american legion bridge. keeping here for your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. time for sports. the future of the redskins depends on jason campbell's success. jim zorn's future it also depends on his success. all eyes are focused on the young quarterback. he threw 13 touchdown passes last year.

yesterday, he struggled little bit in the passing drills. the fans let him know about it. >> that is what training camp is all about. you try it out here. it is all about not worrying about what you have done in the past what happened to us last year. taking chances out here. >> let's go to baseball. the nationals fell behind 4-0. this is adam dunn. he does it again. a two-run shot. that the way it ended. the nationals have now won three games in a row. have a great day. >> they are on a roll. time for a look at business news with linda bell. >> good morning. we're talking about the cash for

clunkers program that may be having a positive impact on our economy. it may help the economy emerged as early as this quarter. that's what sales analysts tell bloomberg. an analyst says if the senate extends cash for clunkers by $2 billion, up to trade in program could boost it by half of a percentage point. it is not extended, you may not be able to buy the cart you want. ford is running low on escape crossovers. it is among the top clunker car sellers. chrysle a reinrugnn low because they shutdown their plants. a quick trading check. stock index futures are indicating a lower open. that is your business news. live at bloomberg headquarters in new york, i am linda bell.

back to you. >> thank you very much. we will see you next hour. 5:27. the news continues. >> in our next half-hour, several people are dead after a shooting at a health club in suburban pittsburgh. >> pc received it's a chevy-page report card -- d.c. received its aids report card. >> live in the weather center, we have clouds. the front is on is o hi, may i help you? we're shopping for car insurance, and our friends said we should start here. good friends -- we compare our progressive direct rates, apples to apples, against other top companies, to help you get the best price. how do you do that? with a touch of this button. can i try that? [ chuckles ]

wow! good luck getting your remote back. it's all right -- i love this channel. shopping less and saving more. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

>> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side.

good morning, washington. welcome back. 5:30 is your time. i'm alison starling. >> and i'm doug mckelway. we begin with your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. let's get right to brian van de graaff. we're expecting a real dose of summertime weather. >> a system will take your temperatures down for thursday and friday. >> i hot birthday fasect>> i wim ca--st a hot birthday foreca fst or doug. . > laurel is coming in at 70. it is muggy out there. we will not see much in the way of sunshine. some thunderstorms will develop through the afternoon. some more storms through the evening. there'll be some improvement

over night. let's talk to lisa baden. >> north into baltimore, south into richmond, and dulles airport -- nothing complicated. this is a picture on the beltway. both sides on new hampshire avenue. i will take you to the other end, the american legion bridge, it also looks good through bethesda and tysons. now to top stories. >> thank you. two american journalists convicted of spying in north korea are now on their way home. >> euna lee and laura ling are expected to arrive in california shoon. they received a visit by former president bill clinton yesterday. they were held in north korea since march. we will have the latest on this

story in a live report at 6:00. a new report card will be released today about the progress for the district about aids. >> they are applauding the school system in controlling the spread of aids. pamela brown has more on that. >> starting next year, d.c. school officials are planning to expand a pilot program solid every public school will offer needsectures and testing. the city still has a long way to go when it comes to aids prevention among the youth. an activist group report card says the district has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to fighting h i v. they give high marks for hiv testing. there is some strides this year. mayor fenty needs to walked you

talk more and pool resources to tackle the disease. the numbers are staggering. the growing aids rate is considered an epidemic with at least 3% of residents infected. that is according to the dissenters -- according to the center for disease control. >> it is scary. >> more than one in 10 students has been in fact did. charter schools earned the grade of c +. more needs to be done to educate kids. another big focus of this report is the needle exchange program. some officials are fighting to keep congress from reinstating the ban against the program. will find out all the details later this afternoon. pamela brown, abc 7 news.

>> thank you. a terrifying night at a health club at suburban pittsburgh. four people are dead. we have the latest. >> the gunman walked into an exercise class and started shooting. >> they were in an exercise class and they turned the lights out. the shooting started. >> i could see flashes in the dark. somebody was using a firearm in side. >> the fitness club is located in bridgeville, pennsylvania. people who worked out said they always felt safe and brought their children. one gunman said -- if the witness said the gunman was the boyfriend of one of the girls there. >> i think it was an ex- boyfriend. she just kept saying, he is going to kill me.

>> strangers did what they could until help arrived. two guns were removed from the scene. >> the problem with coming up with a motive is we do not have the people identified. >> police found his car in the parking lot along with his gym bag which had a note. police declined to reveal its contents. its clear the gun man knew what he was doing. he did not plan to come out alive. friends and family members are mourning the loss of a soldier from fairfax who was killed in afghanistan. alejandro granado and two others died on sunday after their vehicle was attacked. he was a native of texas. he is survived by his texas, his five siblings, and three grown

children. he was 42 years old. ofs ficiareal considering banng smoking on playgrounds. the rockville advisory board wants to place a board -- place a ban on city parks. rockville mayor supports the ban. >> there is no downside to keeping smoking away from children in playgrounds. i did not say how this is not going to go forward. >> these kids should not breathe secondhand smoke. >> i think a ban is little extreme. >> people are responsible about this in an open air space. >> they want to get input on whether or not people support the ban. police needs your help to catch a high end shoplifter. a $2,000 trash was stolen from

chevy chase last thursday. as a security guard approached, he was sprayed with pepper spray. if you recognize this person, poplease call the police. d.c. employers budgeted the largest increase in the country r pay raises at just over 3%. companies in baltimore budgeted just over to%. last year there were increases of 4%. still ahead on this wednesday, falling nearly two months of protests, iran's president is sworn in. opposition groups are responding. >> adam caskey live in old town, alexander. a wonderful morning out here. there is a chance for

thunderstorms later today. we will talk about that straight ahead. >> lisa baden will be back with another look at your morning commute. ute.

heo. join me. there are three free things you can do in ocean city. what is better than this?

good morning, washington. 5:41. time for look at traffic and weather. i know who will have the prettiest sunrise. >> adam caskey is on the waterfront in alexandria today. >> i have to think one of our friendly the worse for bringing a couple of cupcakes down. best cupcake i ever had in my life. i have been around the block in terms of cupcakes. we are in founders park this morning. it is warm and muggy, but will have a beautiful sunrise. 76 rightwno r sede 5. o 6f o we actually breeze. it icte s tht breeze. stgu we wehad l morning. had l morning.

suitland, 74.llsu ha, lyil70 hi. sunshine. bo 5bout a 50% ae cnchaof seng showers and funds -- showers and thunderstorms later today. these storms should be a slow- moving. there could be a few lingering into the nighttime hours. we could be well into the mid 90's by sunday. now lisa b. >> ok. not much happening on the beltwa give it the big thumb up rythveoo learc betweenhe t arica legion bridge. a good ride into vienna on 66. the beltway is quiet between springfield and tysons. normal travel times on 95.

more headlights spotted out of del city of to the beltway. back to you. >> thank you. 5:43. >> heavy rains in kentucky leave churchill downs under water. >> we will be back with your fr fr ee y nigt,sm free nights from hotels.com. how? well, funny you should ask. you see, after i book 10 nights, i get a free one. say i spend 2 nights at a big name hotel, 3 at a boutique, and 5 at a beach resort... and boom! free night. ( dings, monkey chatters ) ( in a baby voice ) aren't you a smart one? ( monkey laughs ) accumulate 10 nights and get a night free. welcomerewards from hotels.com. smart. so smart.

♪ [ woman ] ♪ early light breaks through ♪ music and dance calling you ♪ just need that mountain grown lift ♪ ♪ before you share your gift

♪ ♪ now there's rhythm and sound ♪ making their hearts pound ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ ♪ is folgers in your cup >> you are watching abc 7's "good morning washington," with doug mckelway, alison starling, meteorologist brian van de graaff, weather, and lisa baden, traffic. this is "good morning washington," on your side. checking our top stories. mahmoud ahmadinejad has been sworn in for a second term. he took the oath of office earlier today. he called it an epic victory. opposition groups claim he raised the june 12 election.

hillary clinton said the african trade pact has not met its potential. she is on the first leg of a tour of africa. she will then head onto south africa. a national guard is heading to kentucky where heavy thunderstorms have flooded much of that region. the university of louisville was shot down. officials say there have been n reported injuries. 5:48. your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. >> adam caskey is live in old town, alexandria. i would imagine it is not too hot out yet and it feels great out there. >> a lot of runners and joggers and some raw worst passing by. what a great place to be -- and some grrowers passing by on

the water. there are a few breaks in the clouds. many some mid-level clouds. we will see some sunshine during the morning hours. right now we are at 76 degrees ear founders park. eait isay. . lltirichany at 70lsh, ircanchy a a are a few furthero trtfurth to the north that aren the upper 60's. that would be the shenandoah valley and places out west. partial sunshine today. mainly cloudy skies. about a 50% chance of thunderstorms. some could linger into tonight. across the region, let's head inside.

by the way, i did have the best cupcake this morning. thank you to karen for bringing them by. >> what was the flavored? >> it was chocolate that exploded in your mouth with peanut butter on top. it was fantastic. my favorite things. i love peanut butter. i love chocolate. the little things that you so excited. >> a sugar high. we have a cool front coming through. a big warmup coming from the weekend. some era cloud cover. the front will move through the area. it will be warm despite the limited sunshine. we d have heat and humidity. a few storms could develop toght. you'll get nicer tomorrow. it will be less humid. mid and upper 80's.

by friday and into saturday, more heat. temperatures could be well into the 90's. 83 at lunchtime. 89 this afternoon. scattered storms. pretty comfortable. a fair amount of sunshine. some afternoon storms are possible. let's check in on traffic. >> it is just increasing on volume. i talked to newschopper 7. they are going to fly today. we will get a glimpse on them. we will show you the pace on traffic on 270. actually, this is 395. good on the 14th street bridge. nothing on 66 through rosslyn and falls church. it is beautiful on the beltway to and from the american legion bridge. the main course on the

eating contest has been a hot dog contest. >> consider this. you are looking at the ninth annual pickle eating contest taking place at new york's carnegie deli. they are known for their pickles. the winner eight nearly 3 pounds of sour pickles. -- the winner ate nearly 3 pounds of sour pickles. that is a lot of salts. >> his having a fit of some sort. >> that is a salt overdose. >> wow. it takes a special stomach. president obama was not the only one celebrating a birthday yesterday. helen thomas received a birthday surprise. the president said it was the first time he had ever seen her

smile. heat serenading her with "happy birthday -- he serenade hed her "" happy birthday." today is doug's birthday and we have a little cake for him. i'm sorry. i did not have time to ice it. >> you have eight candles. >> we can not like it in here. >> careful. you can see -- doug phillips says if you sit backwards it is not better than if you read it for words. >> happy birthday. i remember when we first started

working together. you work 50. >> it has been five years. >> we still like each other. what do you like the icing part? >> i like the wholeike the w

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we bring fiber optic all the way to the home. um... which gives you more bandwidth than cable. so you can upload faster. so it's like comparing a horse and buggy to a sports car. am i the, uh, horse? (announcer) it's a whole new internet. only verizon's 100% fiber optic network makes uploading as easy as downloading. because your internet's not fast unless it's two-way fast. the cost of raising a family has never been cheap. >> a new report confirms raising children has only gotten more expensive. charles gibson has the numbers.

>> there was an estimate that young john will cost his family $291,000 by the time he finishes high school. as if parenting were not scary enough. they tell young parents to start saving for carriage. how about the 21 to $91,000? where is that supposed to come from? -- how about the $291,000 tax 16% goes for food. probably hire for boys. another 60% for child care. 14% for transportation. this is all just money. mom and dad's love -- it is like those advertisements on tv. ceil mone from the baby or one hog when they're older, priceless.

-- or one hug when they are older, priceless. there is a lot more still to come. >> the pentagon has made a controversial decision. details on a ban for troops. >> a happy ending for two american journalists jailed in north korea. they are on their way home. i will have that story. >> lisa baden will be back with another look at your morning commute. traffic and weather when "good morning morn

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